William M. Cowper, Jr., saved R. J. Gordon McMullen, W. F. Gerald Madill, and Kendal L. Chard from drowning, Ardberg, Ontario, October 31, 1970. As night was falling, McMullen, 60, retired farmer, Madill, 37, farmer, Chard, 43, generator operator, and three other men were thrown from a boat into cold water in Little Shawanaga Lake. The three other men eventually drowned. When the group did not arrive at a lakeshore camp, Cowper, 31, plumber, and another man went to look for them. With a light, they spotted the capsized boat and the three surviving men in deep water 100 feet from shore. By then the cold water had so affected McMullen, Madill, and Chard that they were unable to move. Cowper swam to the boat. By means of a rope at the bow, he towed the craft, and with it the men, to shore. By that time his legs were almost completely numb. Cowper, McMullen, Madill, and Chard all recovered from effects of the cold water.
52175 – 5885
52175-5885